A New Dawn
by muckfarmedrose
Summary: After three years in the cruel grip of Leo, Anna escapes from the secluded place where he hid her. She runs across Charles while fleeing who informs her of something that she did not know about herself: Anna is a werewolf.
1. Preface: A Chance Encounter

Chapter 1: On the Run

Panting. Running. Stumbling. Running, again. The process repeated itself as Anna weaved in and out of the forestry. The brush and bramble viciously attacked her bare feet, but there was no time to stop and try to soothe them. She had to keep running, or they would catch her. That was not happening again; she would not allow it.

Snow started to fall as she ran. A brief glance to the sky told in volumes that she had to find shelter before it became too dark and the snow became a problem. There had been many caves and cliffs where she could have easily bunked down in for the night, but fear had driven her to go as long as she could. Leo catching her would be worst than chancing getting lost in the wilderness or eaten by any wildlife hanging around.

Judging the amount of daylight she had left, Anna pressed on further into the wilderness. She was making good time. Fear-driven adrenaline helped her speed as it thumped quickly through her veins. However, adrenaline can only do so much. Anna was exhausted and her eyesight was being hindered from the dimming light, so she did not see the small crevasse in the rock before her. Her foot got caught and caused her to trip. When she tried to pick herself up again, her foot was caught and she was pretty sure that some of the bones in her ankle were broken, judging from the loud and painful protest she experienced as she tried to pull free.

Anna gave frustrated grunt as she hit the dirt with a small fist. A move she soon regretted, because as she did so she caught the attention of a ferocious looking animal that she was pretty sure was a bear. Yet, it couldn't be a bear. It's snout was too long and the facial structure wasn't right.

Whatever it was, was huge, scary and looking right at her with yellow eyes. Suddenly getting mauled was not looking as nice as she thought. Nicer than getting caught by Leo, but ugly all the same. The monster was now walking right towards her, curiosity peaked. Anna tried to make herself as small as possible out of instinct, but the beast was not deterred and she was having trouble curling up into a small ball with her foot caught in the crevasse. The beast strode forward sniffing the air and Anna. Suddenly it turned away and disappeared into the brush from which it had come from.

Anna gave a sigh of relief before turning her attention to her foot. If she could get it free, she could find shelter and set the break there. Gingerly applying pressure as she tried to maneuver her foot into a position where it would be the easiest to remove from the hole sent pain lacing up leg. Biting her cheek, she was able to stay quiet, but she wasn't getting anywhere. "Seems like you are stuck, Miss."

Anna's head whipped around fast enough to give her whiplash to see a man standing there in a red flannel shirt and jeans. His long black hair was loosely secured in a leather thong at the base of his neck so as to keep it off of his face. The man was easily six feet tall and well muscled. Anna's eyes widened in response.

The man approached slowly as if he was scared of frightening her off, which was impossible with her foot trapped in the rock. He was calm as he examined her foot and smoothly, almost effortlessly freed her foot from the rock. She was not completely free, however, because he held her foot in a firm but gentle grasp. "It's broken." The two words were said in such a way that showed clinical indifference and concern at the same time. The concern in his voice was what made Anna stare at him. She had not heard concern for her in a long time and had almost come to the point where she thought concern was nothing but a myth.

Her silence drew his gaze up to her face. He noticed her perplexed expression. She look as if she was deciding whether to try to bolt or not. "You'll need to get this look at."

She shook her head before she finally found her voice, "No, no time." Another head-shake and then she was rattling off, "I really appreciate your help, but I really have to go. Now. Thanks again, now can you please let go of my foot. No seriously, I have to go. I can't stay. It's fine. I have to go. They'll be coming, in fact they are right behind me. I have to g-"

He put a hand over her mouth to silence the constant stream of words she was spouting. The stream did not stop immediately, but rather continued on being muffled as if she had not realized that his hand was there. Only when she stopped to take a breath did she quiet. "My brother is a doctor. He can set it quickly and you can be one your way." She shook her head again and mumbled something that sounded like 'no time'. "You won't get far with a broken ankle." He could see that she was wavering now, so he pressed on. "Once the bones are set you can leave. No one will force you to stay."

Anna was quiet for several moments before she finally nodded in consent.


	2. Chapter 1: What You Are

**AN: Hello everyone. Thanks so much for clicking on my story and continuing to read it. I apologize for how short the first chapter was. I was mainly trying to grab interest, which since you have moved on to this next chapter it worked. =) Anywho, if you guys find any spelling or grammar errors please feel free to tell me. Also I am welcome to any criticism, good or bad. Any suggestions or ideas are also welcome!**

"Ouch! What are you doing!" Charles looked up into furious brown eyes. She had kept quiet the whole time he had carried her to his truck. It would have been faster to go as a wolf, but he was doubtful that, although she was indeed a werewolf, it might create more stress than needed for her. He had a feeling that if he put to much stress on her, she would bolt.

"The bone needs set or Samuel will have to re-break it."

"Why on earth would he need to do that?" Charles froze, and she continued, "Bones don't heal that fast, right?" _She does not realize what she is._ Brother Wolf's words echoed Charles' thoughts. How was that possible though? "Maybe a bruise or cut, but certainly not bones."

Charles directed his attention to setting the bone again, but couldn't help but notice her agitation. She kept scanning the forest as if waiting for something to jump out and attack her. "Did you see a beast while you were out there—why were you out there?"

"I was hiking." He looked up to see her scanning the forest again. "What exactly did you see?"

She was quiet long enough for him to put a splint on her ankle. For the most part she had stayed still, but when he set the bone she had taken an inward breath and tried to pulled her leg back. He had a hold of her calf, so she wasn't successful; however, she had stilled completely before letting him have her ankle again. He thought she might have forgotten his question, but she finally answered, "It doesn't matter. I probably imagined it."

"Alright..." he paused realizing that he had never asked for her name.

Thankfully, she filled in the blank. "Anna."

He nodded, "Alright Anna, if you will swing your legs into the cab, we can be on our way." He helped her gingerly bring her injured leg in front of herself once she was seated correctly. She jumped when the door shut even though he tried to shut it as gently as he could. Someone sure had done a number on her.

He was glad that he had driven his truck out here instead of running the whole way as much as he hated driving the thing. He would much rather use horses. As it was though, he still had his truck and much of the newer technology, which he also hated, as well.

"I'm Charles Cornick," he said as he started the truck. She mumbled a faint 'nice to meet you' that he wouldn't have heard if his hearing hadn't been werewolf sharp, but otherwise ignored him to continuously—almost obsessively—scanning the forest for whatever threat she thought was out there. "May I ask what you're searching for?"

She startled and stared at him as if she had forgotten he was there, Charles has to fight to keep his wolf under control from the rage the wolf felt towards whoever had abused her. It was only then that he realized that Brother Wolf had been calm for the first time. He recon it was as close to feeling totally human as he was going to get. Comprehension dawned on him as she worked to gain her voice. Omega.

"I-I thought I...um...saw something." She swallowed nervously before she returned to scanning the forest.

Perhaps she would calm down when we get out of the woods and onto the highway, Charles thought as Brother Wolf settled back down. But still... "What type of something?" he asked as he wondered how odd his words must sound.

"Uh...It's nothing. Probably just my...my imagination." She gave a small shy and embarrassed smile that was as quick to come as it was to leave. She was back to scanning the forest in a second. A nervous laugh escaped her before she muttered, "The stupid drugs must still be affecting me."

"What drugs?" If not for the seat belt, she would have jumped a mile high. She hit the roof of the cab of the truck as is was though. _I probably should have worded that differently,_ he though. Words were never his strength.

"Nothing...I-I didn't...I mean...uh..."-a nervous swallow- "I had to take them. I'm not a junkie or anything like that."

"I didn't think you were. I was merely surprised, is all because I can't smell any drugs on you, nor is there any sign of them in your system." The truck veered a bit to the right while he was watching her stutter out an answer. He silently cursed the modern technology as he corrected the truck. He didn't like cars for that reason among with other. If he had been riding a horse it wouldn't have been an issue.

"What are you, some kind of police dog?"

"Something like that." Silence descended upon them after that and grew until it became awkward and heavy. Thankfully they pulled up to the clinic before either one of them started crawling out of their skin. "It seems that Samuel is already here."

"Hey old man, Da said that you might be needing me," Sam called as Charles went around to helped Anna out of the truck. Charles wasn't all that surprised. His da had an uncanny habit of knowing what was happening, especially when it involves members of his pack. He could put words into his pack members head and although his da claimed that he couldn't take any out, sometimes it sure seemed like it. "Oh, you brought home a stray."

"I'm not a stray!"

"He's just trying to get under my skin," Charles explained as he carried her into the clinic. She probably could have walked, but it would be better if she kept pressure off it.

"He's right. I meant no offense. Now, why don't one of you tell me what happened? Da didn't say what you needed me for."

"Anna broke her ankle." Samuel nodded and gestured for them to proceed him into the clinic. When Anna was seated on the table, Samuel got to work. She flinched a bit when he gripped her ankle, but she worked to swallow her fear. He examined her ankle with skill long mastered. "I assume you set the bone?" he asked Charles who nodded. "Well old man there's not much more I can do. You set the bone about as well as I ever could have. Give it a few hours and it will be healed."

"What is with you people and this strange notion that bones heal in hours? Everyone knows that bones take months to heal fully."

Samuel raised an eyebrow at his brother. "I could smell her a mile out."

"She doesn't know what she is." Samuel looked like he was going to interrupt, but Charles was quicker to speak. "I don't know how that's possible either, but it's true. There's no other explanation."

"Well, that sure shakes things up."

"What in the world are you two talking about?" The brothers glanced back at the girl. "I know what I am. I'm a girl who is in a really big hurry, so sense it seems that you aren't going to help anymore, I'm going to go." She hopped down from the table, careful not to put weight on her injured foot.

"Please wait," Charles said as he steadied her.

"No, you said once my ankle was set, I was free to leave. Well it's set and your brother isn't going to do anything else. Now I'm leaving. I don't have time to sit around and chat about the weather. They'll find me if I stay in one place and I'm not going back there."

"Who will find you?" Bran, who was casually leaning against the door frame, asked. Anna jumped at the unexpected sound of another voice being added into the mix. She was tired, hurt, and scared, which put her in a less than gracious mood, and she had to bite back a rude "none of your business."

As it was, Anna glared at Bran while she snarled an obvious, "The ones who are chasing me," which wasn't much better. Bran merely raised a questioning brow as she held his gaze. The tension grew as she continued to hold his gaze, not realizing the challenge that it was. She merely stood there, ignorantly defiant, staring the Marrok down, until he broke contact to look at his sons.

"She doesn't know what she is," Samuel offered with a shrug. Bran glanced at Charles who nodded his agreement as Anna screamed in frustration, bringing the attention back to her.

"I'm leaving. Thanks for the help." All three men watched her hobble to the door where Bran blocked the only exist. "Move," she commanded as she met his gaze with a glare again.

"It is not smart to hold a werewolf's eye, Omega."

"Well its a good thing that they are fictional then. Now move."

"Nor is it good to boss an alpha around, let alone the Marrok."

"I have no clue what you are talking about and frankly I don't care right now. I don't wish to be rude but I need to leave before they catch up with me. Leo will not be happy with me for running away from his 'care' if that's what you would even call it. Now, for the last time, move."

"This Leo is the one chasing you?" Charles asked from his spot next to the table. Anna turned awkwardly around on her good foot, almost falling over in the process, to face him. She bit back the venomous 'duh' that was sitting on the tip of her tongue and nodded.

"And is he the one who changed you?" Samuel asked.

"Into what?" There were many things that had changed about her since Leo had kidnapped her.

"A werewolf."

Anna gave another frustrated scream as she gripped her over-grown, greasy, tangled mess of hair. "They don't exist. They are a myth. Everyone knows that."

"Actually, contrary to popular knowledge, we are very much real, my dear," Bran told her matter-of-factually. As if the talk of werewolves existing was about as interesting as the fickle weather.

Anna turned to face him and succeeded in falling this time. "Right, and pigs fly," she muttered under her breath as she tried to get up without putting pressure on her injured ankle. Samuel picked her up by the waist and deposited her back on her feet, while Bran gave Charles a pointed look.

Charles sighed and started his change while Anna watched with wide eyes as fur rippled over his skin starting with his and continuing until the monster from the forest stood right in front of her. She stood stock still as she stared at the giant wolf—bear? combo? whatever—before she gasped, "You were the...What are you?"

"Werewolf," Samuel provided from behind her. "We are all." She looked to the werewolf standing in front of her as if to confirm it all. The wolf gave a nod and she looked back to Samuel.

"And...that is Charles?" she asked hesitantly while she pointed to the wolf. Samuel nodded. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, shook her head, and let out a slightly hysterical laugh. "I've gone insane." Another hysterical laugh left her. Charles bumped her hand with his head, which wasn't hard to reach, he was a big wolf, as if to reassure her that she wasn't.

"No, you aren't insane, but perhaps we should find a more comfortable place to discuss this." Bran suggested.

"I don't have time. I told you all. I have to go. Whether werewolves exist or not has little to do with me anyways."

"Actually it has everything to do with you, because you are one," Samuel said, causing Anna's jaw to drop and Charles to bar his teeth in a ferocious snarl. "Oh, she was going to find out tonight anyways. We couldn't very well keep her in the dark about this. It's too dangerous, even if she is an Omega." Charles' huff sounded like he sneezed to Anna, but apparently his brother was satisfied because the subject was dropped...well at least between them.

"What do you mean "you are one"? I've never turned into anything like that-" she gestured to Charles-" Well maybe once, but Leo had me drugged so there was no way that it was real. Just some drug induced hallucination. Besides, don't werewolves only change during the full moon, or something like that?"

"Myth," Samuel snorted.

"Oh and werewolves are what? Chopped liver?"

Samuel laughed. "I'm beginning to really like her," he told his father, who smiled.

"How about we continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable," Bran suggested again, "for it is sure to be a long one." She started to protest but Bran beat her to it. "I assure your safety while you remain here in Aspen Creek." She though about it for a long moment before she figured that Leo would have some trouble facing three werewolves and she could flee while he was distracted. It was the coward's way out, but anything for her own survival.

"Alright," she agreed.

* * *

They ended up at Charles' house after Samuel suggested that Leah, Bran's mate, would complicate things. Charles had changed back before they had left the clinic and was now in his kitchen making tea while Samuel and Bran explained to her what it meant to be a werewolf and the differences between dominant and submissive wolves along with other important stuff she needed to know. Bran explained how he though that she was a rare Omega wolf and Samuel and Charles both agreed.

"Now, you need to tell us how you came across Charles' path today," Bran said as he watched her.

Staring into her cooling tea, and mumbled a rhetoric "where to start?" before launching into her story. "My work sent me to Seattle to check on a store in their chain. All the meetings went well and I was to leave the next day after one last meeting. It was a nice night so I decided I would walk back to my hotel instead of taking a cab. Someone came up behind me while I was cutting through the park—and yes I know that was a stupid move—and knock me out. When I woke up, I was in the back of a truck. They knocked me out with some type of tranquilizer and by the time I woke up again I was wherever Leo had me stashed for all this time.

"Leo kept me so fogged up on drugs that I didn't notice what was going on most of the time. The only times he allowed me to sober up was when he would have me beat or raped. No use torturing someone who doesn't know what is happening, right?" She took a deep breath to steady herself, looking up from her hands to reassure herself that she was not still in that hellhole. All three men were staring at her as they waited for her to continue.

When she didn't, Samuel asked, "When do you think they changed you?"

She shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know."

"You would have had to have been within an inch of your life by wolves to have been changed."

"Well, sadly that doesn't narrow it down any."

"You didn't notice any changes about behavior or how long it took for you to heal?" Bran asked when the silence stretched on.

Another negative shake of the head. "No. When I wasn't so doped up I couldn't see straight, I was angry and scared at the situation. If at times I became any more frustrated or angry, I figured it was just PMS. And when I saw weird monsters while I was sober, I just figured that I was going insane. As far as noticing how long it took to heal, I had no senses of time there." Silence dragged on. "What is the date?"

"January 5th," Charles answered.

"And the year?"

"2010." She stiffened and everyone in the room could hear her heartbeat quicken. "What's wrong?"

"The last date I remember is July 22nd, 2007."

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I apologize for how corny it is and for Anna being slightly out of character. Review and tell me was it good, bad, ugly? The most horrible thing you have ever read? Also any suggestions you have on what you would like to see happen in the story, especially characters you want to see. I will try and update as soon as I can!**


	3. Chapter 2: Coming to safety

**AN: Hello readers. I apologize for my lengthy absence. Life has been one insane thing after another. So, I'm oooooooooooooo sorry. Anywho, I will stop babbling and let you get to the much anticipated chapter.**

Brother Wolf was beyond restless. He was pacing and clawing at Charles's skin as if trying to escape. Never in all his life had Charles and Brother Wolf been at such odds, and Charles knew what was the cause—Anna.

She was now blessedly asleep in his bedroom, but Brother Wolf was still worked up from the hours spent with her after Bran and Samuel had left. She had been incapable of sitting still. She had worn a trail from the couch to the window to the fireplace and back to the couch with her pacing. He had tried his best to soothe her worries, but he had never been good with words.

Countless times she had pulled back the curtain to cast a frantic search for the monsters looking for her. The only break in her pacing had been when she ruthlessly watched him prepare a hearty stew and then demanded that he eat a bowl of it first. It was still almost an hour after he had finished his that she decided it was safe to eat. Cautious at first, she ate her what was in her bowl and then polished off three more.

With her stomach full, her pacing had started again until the yawning had started. Somehow he had been able to convince her to take advantage of a hot shower. The battle over where she would sleep had been almost more than his patience could handle. He had finally convinced her to take her the only bedroom in the house—his.

Now here he was fervently trying to calm down. Normally, he would run off his frustration; however, that was not an option this time. Although he was pretty sure that nothing would happen tonight, he did not want to chance leaving Anna alone for that Leo person to come while he was away. Bran and some of the pack were out sweeping the forest for anything or anyone out of place.

An ear piercing scream split the silence in the house. Charles didn't think, he just acted. Within a second he was at the door of his bedroom. The door was locked and was blocked by some type of furniture that he had heard her moving before she fell asleep. His curse was drowned out by the ongoing scream.

Thinking fast, he ran outside to the back of the house where his bedroom window was and jumped through it. Anna jumped a mile high and threw a pillow at him. The added stress of him crashing through the window pushed her over the edge and caused her to change. The screaming turned to sobs as the pain of the change took over.

"It's alright, Anna. Don't fight it." She threw the second pillow at him and let out a snarl. Charles raised his hands in surrender and waited quietly. After fifteen tense minutes, a midnight black wolf with pale blue eyes stood in front of him growling and hackles raised. "Anna?"

The werewolf snarled and snapped at the hand he had held out. He sighed and began picking up the mess he made from jumping through the window. With the wastebasket from beside the bed and a pair of the gloves from his closet, he picked up the as much of the glass that he could.

He was almost finished cleaning when a cold nose touched his shoulder accompanied by a whine. Deep brown met worried pale blue. Anna's nose touched his shoulder again and he saw what was causing her distress. "It's fine. It's already healed up." She looked at the red blotch on his white tee skeptically and tried to push the collar of his shirt down with her nose. He obliged her and pulled the fabric down over his shoulder, showing her the newly healed cuts.

She seemed to be satisfied, because she walked back over to the bed with her tail between her legs. He watched her lay down and hide her face with her tail and then went to move the dresser she had put in front of the door. Taking more time than needed, he went to fetch the sweeper. Anna barely moved when he came back and swept up the remaining slivers. She remained in the same spot while he boarded up the window, shaking.

He left her alone to process what was happening because he knew that this was the first change she had experienced with the knowledge that it was real and not a hallucination or insanity resulting from what she had been put through. Brother Wolf did not like leaving her than Charles did, but Charles reasoned that she probably did not want the comfort of strangers to which Brother Wolf had consented that he was probably right.

_We didn't find anyone in our territory, but we will stay vigilant._ The Marrok's voice floated through his mind. The reassurance from their alpha allowed both Brother Wolf and Charles to relax marginally. However, Charles figured that he would not be able to relax fully until he had dealt with this Leo. Life was certainly going to be interesting for the next couple weeks.

It was almost three in the morning by the time Anna found enough composure to get off the bed. She was tired, scared, confused as all get out, and didn't want to be alone with her thoughts anymore.

The nightmare had been an awful jumble of tortuous memories and flashbacks of her time with Leo. Looking around at the tangled mass of sheets showed that she had been taking her fear out on the bedding. Considering that Charles came bursting through the window to no doubt rescue her, she was sure that she had been screaming.

His gallantry had been the straw that had been broke the camel's back, however. The shock had started the worst thing she had ever experienced. After the excruciating pain had passed, she had found her self in a form similar to what the beast in the forest that she refused to acknowledge was Charles. The only difference was her size and color. It had taken her some time to come to term with the fact that she was in fact what they were telling her she was, even if she refused to say the word. Up until this point, in fact.

Now she found herself looking for Charles, whom she found asleep on his couch. Not brave enough to actually touch him, she curled up on the floor beside him. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he draped a blanket over her even though she was perfectly warm without it.

Looking up at him, she tried to convey her gratitude. He merely smiled and closed his eyes. It was strange to think that she would feel so safe with a complete stranger, but she found that did regardless. So it was that with a sense of safety that Anna fell peacefully asleep curled up next to Charles.

**AN: OK I can help myself. "Awwwwwwwwwwww" OK now that I have that out of my system, please review and tell me what you think. I will to try and get the next chapter up soon, but I can't make any promises. If I end up taking way too long, like several months or something, and you just simply can't wait any longer, I give you permission to tell me to hurry up and get my butt moving. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3: Mad at Whom?

Charles woke to the sound of someone pulling into the driveway. The optimistic thought that maybe—just maybe—they were just turning around and they wouldn't bother him was squelched when a knock sounded. Seeing that it was Samuel, he was tempted just to send him away, but he might have news on the Leo character, so Charles forced himself to rise.

It was then that he noticed that Anna was no longer in her wolf form. She had obliviously changed back at some point in the night. The blanket that he only vaguely remembered giving her was tucked firmly around her. He considered moving her, but Samuel was knocking again.

"Hey, Old Man. Sage wanted me to bring some clothes for Anna. She would have brought them herself but she was falling asleep on her feet and Da sent her home to rest." Charles nodded and reached for the bag, but Samuel barged his way inside, only to stop when he saw Anna curled up on the floor. "Now, I know you were taught better than to force a lady sleep on the floor."

Charles smacked him upside the head. "I gave her the bed. She chose to sleep there."

"Well, at least she's sleeping on one of the Persian rugs and not the hardwood floor."Charles rolled his eyes, snatched the bag out of his brother's hands, and then went to go place it in the bedroom. "Whoa! What happened to your window?"

"It was a long night." Samuel raised a questioning eyebrow, so Charles relayed all that happened after he and Bran had left up until he came a knocking.

When he was finished, Samuel laughed, "Good thing Sage had me bring over some clothes." Charles rolled his eyes again and went to heat up some water for tea. Predictably, Samuel made himself at home. Charles ignored him and went about preparing breakfast. He was almost finished when both his and Samuel's attentions were caught by a sharp intake of breath.

Turning, the brothers found Anna frantically trying to keep the blanket wrapped firmly around her body. "Hey Anna!" Samuel said excitedly, which only caused her to widen her eyes even more in a fear. "Sage had me bring you some clothes. Charles put them in the bedroom." The fear in her gaze lessened considerably. She gave small nod and went into the bedroom.

Anna sorted through the bag of clothes, more than grateful for the benefactor, Sage. There was three shirts, two pairs of jeans, a skirt, a pair of sweats, five pairs of underwear, and several sports bras that were different different sizes. As she picked up a the bag again, she saw that there was a note at the bottom.

_Dear Anna,_

_ I wish that I could deliver these clothes in_

_ person, but alpha's order. Either way, I hope that_

_ you like the clothes. Bran and Samuel said that you _

_ were close to my size, so hopefully they will fit._

_ At least they will fit better than anything Charley_

_ has to offer. _

_ The underwear is brand new, so don't worry. I_

_ didn't know your cup-size, but thankfully I thought_

_ to stock up on different sizes of sports bras because_

_ you never know what will happen here in Aspen Creek and_

_ boys just don't think of things like that. _

_ Don't let Charley keep you cooped up there in that_

_ cave of his. Maybe you and I could go shopping for real _

_ clothes later? Charley has my number, so don't be shy!_

_ Hope to meet you soon,_

_ Sage_

Anna placed the note back on the bed and found herself smiling. She was touched that someone had thought to give her clothes and underwear, even if the pants were too long and the shirts were a bit baggy. She shivered and decided to put on the sweat shirt.

She had to take a calming breath before she went back into the kitchen. She had forced herself to get up because she had smelled the breakfast that Charles had been cooking and her stomach was rumbling. She had been starved to long to ignore it, so she got up.

It had been a surprise to find that she had changed back to her human form and was completely naked. She had wrapped the blanket around her body and hoped to sneak past Charles. She had no idea what he would say to her when he saw that she stole some of his clothes, but it had been her only choice...or at least she had thought.

To see Samuel sitting in the kitchen was a shock and caused her to make a sound and alert the two men to her presence. Then he had said that there was a bag of clothes waiting for her here in the bedroom and it had seemed too good to be true. Truthfully, she hadn't believed him, but, sure enough, it was there.

Her stomach grumbled, startling her out of her reverie. She wasn't about to deny herself food when she might have to run again soon, so she opened the door and stepped into the kitchen.

The two brothers turned to look at her when they heard the bedroom door opened. Samuel smiled and glanced at her feet. "How is your ankle?"

Anna blinked in surprise. She had completely forgotten about her ankle. Last night even, she had been pacing and walking on it with feeling the twinge of pain. When she composed herself, Samuel had a knowing smile on his face. "I...It's fine. I forgot that I had broken it."

"Well, let me look at it to make sure it heal properly." She nodded and took the seat he held out for her. She had to keep herself from flinching when he grab her ankle a bit too quickly. She wasn't quite sure why she had a sudden crushing fear of him touching her when she knew that he was just examining her ankle from a purely medical stand point. However, her body remembered something that her mind didn't, because the terror kept rising.

When Charles let out something similar to a growl, Anna couldn't control her flinch and pulled her ankle free. She immediately pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "I'm sorry."

"Your ankle is fine,"Samuel said through a tight smile. Unlike Charles, whose face was perfectly neutral, Samuel's anger was written plainly all over his face. However, it wasn't his anger that Anna was worried about. Despite the neutral facade, Anna could feel rage rolling off of Charles in palpable waves.

Samuel composed himself first. He picked up his dish and placed it in the sink as if nothing had happened. "I'm going to get going. Mercy's in town, so I'm going to go harass her." Charles merely nodded and focused silently on his breakfast.

Samuel smiled at Anna and left. Awkward silence hung between her and Charles for untold moments before Anna cleared throat. Expressionless eyes met her worried glance. She wasn't sure what she had done to upset him, but she felt inclined to apologize for whatever caused his distress. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to flinch away. I don't even know why I did. I mean, I knew that he wasn't going to hurt me, but something just snapped and I reacted before I could think—and I'm just going to shut up now."

"There are rules to being a werewolf, Anna." He said out-of-the-blue.

"O-okay."He didn't anything else until she hesitantly asks, "Such as?" He then launched into a citation of rules that basically boiled down to not spilling the beans about werewolves. The words just rolled off his tongue in such a practiced, matter-of-fact way that it was obviously that he recited it often enough.

When he finished, Anna was more confused than ever. "But I didn't do any of that? I didn't even know I was a werewolf until last night."

"But Leo did."

Anna bristled. How dare he put that monster's faults on her! To think she believed that he would protect her. He was just as bad as Leo or Justin."That's not fair! I don't see why I should be faulted for what Leo has done. He's the monster not me. To think that you would pin his blame on me-"

"I'm not blaming you, Anna," he interrupted before she could gain speed with her tirade. "It's perfectly clear who the victim is here."

"Then why are you mad at me?"she asked even more confused than ever.

"I'm not mad at you."

"Then why-"He let out a groan of frustration. He never had been good with words and because of it, he was back to square one with her after just gaining a little trust. She was completely closed of from him again and waiting for him to explain himself.

"I'm mad at Leo. Furious, actually." She still looked confused, so he continued. "What Leo did is unforgivable, Anna. To force the Change on anyone is, but it is even more so when it is an Omega."

"An Omega is a wolf that is out of pack order, right?"

_At least she's still trying to understand_, Charles thought as he nodded. "Yes. Wolves are either dominant or submissive. Omega's are neither."

She ate some of her breakfast while she contemplated that. "Why are Omega's so rare?"

"Because a dominant protects those under him. Those protection instincts are pushed even higher when he is around an Omega. It would take someone mad with killing to change an Omega."

"But it might not have been Leo who did it."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. An alpha is responsible for his wolves. It might as well as been Leo who changed you."

"Oh." She did not fully understand all the talk about dominant or submissive, but she did feel better knowing that Charles wasn't mad at her.

**AN: Tada! Another chapter completed. Took a bit longer than I thought it would, but here it is. I skipped the whole explanation of werewolves because I figured that you guys already knew it. Plus, I didn't really want to write it all. :P Anywho, tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 4: No More Cages

It was a week before anything significant happened. Anna passed the days doing Charles's housework despite his numerous protests. She didn't like displeasing him, but she needed to do something or else she would go mad, which she told him over a million times.

After the first day, however, Charles had quit fighting verbally and started getting the chores done before Anna could even get to them. Sadly for Charles, this only made Anna more determined to do them. The several confrontations deterred neither of them though.

During one of said confrontations, Anna had finally gotten the nerve to ask Charles about the possibility of anyone in town hiring. She needed to earn money so that once she was on the run again—for she feared that this unmerited protection was too good to last—and she knew that if by some work of God that she still had a bank account after three years of inactivity, Leo and Justin had no doubt drained it years ago.

When she proposed this to Charles, he was furious. Brother Wolf had made up his mind that she was their mate, and as her mate, they would provide for her. Charles could and would not possibility tell her such, though, for fear that he would surely scare her off. He would wait until she had more time to get use to them and he could court her properly.

But he was furious, all the same. He gave her a curt "No," and she backed down graciously. She didn't understand why her question had upset him, but she regretted it almost immediately.

Sleeping arrangements were another issue on which they disagreed.

Anna, already feeling guilty for intruding, felt that Charles should have his own bed and sleeping on the couch was not going to kill her. Charles, being the gentleman, thought that it was only polite and proper for her to take the bed. The battle that ensued would be comical to any outsider looking in.

In attempt to force him to take the bed, Anna would purposely fall asleep early on the couch. However, Charles would merely move her to the bed later on. When she awoke in the middle of the night and found herself in the bed, she would promptly arise, grab a pillow and blanket, and sleep on the hardwood floor. Since neither would relent, the pattern continued throughout the week.

Bran was highly amused when word of their impasse reached him. He had never seen his son so hot-and-bothered and was convinced that it was good for him.

There was still no sign of Leo, although part of the mystery concerning the drugs Anna received was revealed. It seemed that the son of the local veterinarian, Doc. Wallace, had employed Leo to invent a drug that would give his father, who could not come to terms with his Change, control. According to what Samuel and Mercy had uncovered, they had not developed a perfect drug yet and it was easy to see that Anna had stood in as guinea pig.

The son had had a log of the various drugs, their sight-effects, and who they were administered to. Anna's name had been entered more times that anyone else, although when questioned, she admitted that she didn't consciously remember most of it.

That night Charles asked Sage if she could stay with Anna. The girls chatted and planned a trip to Missoula while Charles ran off his rage and tracked Leo. When he returned in the morning, Anna had breakfast ready and her and Sage filled him in on their plans for the day.

"No," was Charles's immediate answer. The authority in his voice caused Sage to back down because despite the way it seem sometimes, she was just as scared of Charles as everyone else.

Anna, however, plowed right through. "Why the heck not! You said yourself that it would be safe to go out. I'm tired of being caged in!"

Charles was stunned into silence at this display of temper. Throughout the time he had known Anna, which was in fact not that long but felt like forever, she had never displayed a temper except for the first night when exhaustion and terror had ruled her mouth. "I said that it was safe for you to go out in Aspen Creek. I never said that it was safe to go else where."

She made a rude sound, glaring at him, settling her arms across her chest, and defiantly told him. "I'm going."

He bit back another absolute refusal, figuring that he would get no where simply butting heads with her. "We don't know where Leo is. You're safe while you are here."

"Oh? And what makes Aspen Creek so much safer than any place else?"

"Me." Sage's mouth actually dropped wide open in shock as a smirk spread across Anna's face.

"Fine. Then I guess you'll just have to escort us."

And so it was that Charles was sitting in the mall waiting and holding bags while Anna and Sage shopped. It upset Brother Wolf to no end to have so many people buzzing all around. Charles was not too thrilled about it either, considering the only seating was in the middle of the isle and the artificial air currents made it practically impossible to tell what smells were coming from where. _It was either this or have her sneak out and come here unprotected,_ he told himself for the umpteenth time.

However, the shopping trip was cut short.

As they were on their way to the food court, Anna stopped dead in her tracks causing Charles to run into her. If not for Charles quick reflexes, she would have toppled to the floor. "Anna, what's the matter?" he asked while he followed her line of sight to see another werewolf.

It took several tries, but she finally stuttered out, "J-j-justin." The werewolf across the room gave a feral smile that caused Brother Wolf snarl to the surface. Charles shoved Anna behind him while he fought to pushed Brother Wolf back down. As it was, he knew that the wolf was in his eyes as he stared down the other wolf.

"Sage, get Anna out to the car." She nodded and tugged on Anna's hand. However, Anna stayed frozen in place, unable to move or look away as Justin made his approach.

Sage continued to pull Anna towards the door without making a larger scene then they already had. "Come on, Anna. Let's go,"she urged as she finally managed to break through Anna's terror. After that, they were out the door and in Charles' truck before Justin could even hope to catch up.

Tension filled the truck during the ride back to Aspen Creek. Anna had curled up into a ball against the window, clutching her knees to her chest trying to get a hold on the fear coursing through her. Brother Wolf was enraged and kept trying to break through Charles' careful control to go hunt down the ones who had caused her pain. And Sage was stuck in between the two, wishing to help Anna and afraid of Charles.

Justin had stopped following them after they had exited the highway to go into Aspen Creek. He was smart enough not to hunt Anna in the Marrok's territory even if he had been dumb enough to cause a public scene.

The relief was palatable when they finally made it back to Charles's house. Sage quickly left with the promise to Anna that she'd be by later and a quick 'Good -bye Charlie.' Anna fled into the house while Charles unloaded the bags. Not knowing where to go, only that she needed somewhere where she would be left alone, she barricaded herself in the bathroom and turned the shower on so that Charles would not hear her meltdown.

After a long cry and shower, she was furious at herself. How was she ever going to survive if she froze when she game across Justin, or worse, Leo. Even more, how would she be able to convince Charles that she was capable of leaving this gilded cage?

Wait! What was keeping her here anyways? It was clear that it was not safe here—Justin knew where she was, which meant Leo would known soon, too. It was time for her to leave while there was still time.

Her mind made up, Anna slammed the bathroom door open and made a beeline for the bedroom where all her stuff was. She grabbed a change of clothes and put them into one of the shopping bags, which conveniently closed via a draw string.

"What are you doing?" Charles asked from the doorway as Anna was lacing up a pair of hiking boots.

"Leaving."

Charles bit back the automatic no that was resounding in his head. It would have only lead to bashing heads with her anyways. Instead, he tried to reason with her as he blocked the doorway. "Where do you plan to go?"

"I don't know—not here," she muttered as she darted this way and that, trying to escape. After several failed attempts, she glared up at Charles, puffing strands of hair out of her face. "Leo already knows where I am. It's only a matter of time before he makes his move. I need to get out before then."

"Anna, if you leave, we can't protect you. Aspen Creek is the safest place for you right now."

"How can you be so certain? Because your father is this "Marrok"? Leo's not going to fight fair and come to duel the Marrok for me, or whatever it is you werewolves do."

"Leo doesn't have grounds to oppose Da. He broke the rules when he changed you and he will stand judgment for it," he explained carefully, noting her use of "you werewolves." It was obvious that she still hadn't accepted her wolf.

"Whatever. The point is that Leo's not going to fight fair. You can't watch me all the time, even you need to sleep. What happens when one day, he sneaks in when you're away or asleep, hmmmm? Or if he manages to drug you?"

"It's very hard to drug a werewolf." Charles regretted it as soon as the phrase left his tongue. A haunted look entered the eyes Anna quickly adverted as her shoulders hunched and she stepped away. "Anna..." he tried, but she had already shouldered her way passed him. "Anna, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

He saw a slight shrug of her shoulders as he followed her through the living room and out the door. He wanted to reach out and stop her, but he did not want to do anymore damage than he had already done. "Justin is probably waiting for you to run." It was a desperate move, but it worked. Anna stopped where she was, halfway down the driveway. "He knows he scared. He's hoping that you'll panic and try to run." He sees a shiver race up her spine before she turns around. "You're safe here. Da already has people scanning the area to find Justin. We'll know immediately if they find something." With each phrase, he inched slightly closer to her, trying not to frighten her away. "If you run now, they'll catch you and we won't be able to do anything about it."He was right next to her now. He could see that he'd won. She wouldn't run—not yet, at least. Her crestfallen look told him that much.

It was that same crestfallen look which prompted Charles, who had never been one who craved touch, to take Anna into his arms. She was stiff at first, causing Charles to think that his uncharacteristic and impulsive move had been the wrong one. However, she soon clung to him, burying her face in his chest. "I don't want to be in any more cages," she whispered hopelessly.

**AN: Hi guys. Hope you all liked the chapter! Thanks for sticking with the story even though I am horrible at updating. Anywho, please review and tell me what you thought. And if you have any request of what you would like to happen, feel free to tell me. I'm always glad to get other people's ideas.**


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